Kingdom Living is Complete Surrender

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Start with Lies that the World Says

Want to be happier, start living for yourself.

Live a life you are proud of, live for yourself.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Unknown

And this is the kingdom of this world. But not the kingdom of God

In a biblical context,

Surrender - a complete and full yielding of oneself, one's will, and desires to God's authority and plan, rather than a passive act of giving up, but a courageous act of trust and obedience.

Matthew 16:24-28

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[g] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean in this verse. Many people interpret the “cross” to be taken up as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness, etc. With self-pitying pride, they look at their difficulty and say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.”

Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love.

When a person carried a cross in Jesus’ day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden. To a person in the first century, the cross meant

one thing and one thing only: death. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating means of death human beings could develop.

But in Jesus’ day the cross represented a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion. Bearing a cross meant one was about to die, and that one would face ridicule and disgrace along the way. Therefore, Jesus’ command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a call to surrender and self-sacrifice. One must be willing to die in order to follow Jesus. Dying to self is an absolute surrender to God. After Jesus commanded cross-bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

Although the call to take up our cross is tough, the reward is matchless.

Nothing in this world is worth passing up eternal life. Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was often distorted. They thought the Christ would immediately usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Some hoped He would continue to provide free lunches for everyone. Jesus’ statement that following Him requires taking up a cross made people think twice about their motivations and level of commitment. In Luke 9:57–62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus pressed them, however, their commitment was shown to be half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None were willing to take up their cross and crucify upon it their own interests. Are you ready to Surrender take up your cross and follow Jesus?

Consider these questions:

– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your closest friends? – Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family? – Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your reputation? – Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job? – Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

In some places of the world, these consequences are a reality. (Syria)

But notice the phrasing of the questions: “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but the disciple of Christ must be willing to suffer loss. We were reading through the book of Acts with our kids at night and in chapter 12 we see Herod laying violent hands on the believers one was Peter and he is in prison, between two guards sleeping, and all God sends and angel rescues him and he shows up Rhoada the servant girl its Peter God rescued him, we were praying and God rescued him. Wow. But I noticed the sentence right before this powerful story, in verse 2 “And Herod killed James the brother of John with the sword.”

1 sentence.

Nobody talks about it.

James the Great.

James one of the 12 Disciples/Apostles.

James the first apostle to be martyred. They said that he was so full of the Spirit that on the way to his death that one of the guards believed and he too was killed by sword.

Are you willing to take up your cross?

Are you willing to surrender?

If faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose? Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, and even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ.

“Take up your cross and follow Me. The reward is worth the price.

Remember that, as Jesus called His disciples to “take up your cross and follow Me,” He, too, bore a cross. Our Lord led the way.

Loving Our Enemies, Jesus is the Ultimate Example

Serving Others Jesus is the Ultimate Example

Surrendering Jesus perfect display this Kingdom Concept

1. Surrender Unto Salvation

There are different levels of surrender, all of which affect our relationship with God. Initial surrender to the drawing of the Holy Spirit leads to salvation. When we let go of our own attempts to earn God’s favor and rely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we become a child of God

2. Living in Daily Surrender

But there are times of greater surrender during a Christian’s life that bring deeper intimacy with God and greater power in service. The more areas of our lives we surrender to Him, the more room there is for the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we exhibit traits of His character (Galatians 5:22). The more we surrender to God, the more our old self-worshiping nature is replaced with one that resembles Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Romans 6:13 says that God demands that we surrender the totality of our selves; He wants the whole, not a part: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Jesus said that His followers must deny themselves (Mark 8:34)—another call to surrender. The goal of the Christian life can be summed up by Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Such a life of surrender is pleasing to God, results in the greatest human fulfillment, and will reap ultimate rewards in heaven (Luke 6:22-23).

Closing

All to Jesus I surrender All to Him I freely give I will ever love and trust Him In His presence daily live

All to Jesus I surrender Humbly at His feet I bow Worldly pleasures all forsaken Take me, Jesus, take me now

I surrender all I surrender all All to Thee my blessed Savior I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender Make me Savior wholly thine May Thy Holy Spirit fill me May I know Thy power divine

I surrender all I surrender all All to Thee my blessed Savior I surrender all

Judson Van de Venter (1855-1939) was raised on a farm near Dundee, Michigan. After graduating from Hillsdale College, he taught art in public schools in Sharon, Pennsylvania. Van Deventer was active as a layman in his Methodist Episcopal Church, including participation in revivals held at the church.

The song was written while I was conducting a meeting at East Palestine, Ohio, and in the home of George Sebring. For some time, I had struggled between developing my talents in the field of art and going into full-time evangelistic work. At last the pivotal hour of my life came, and I surrendered all. I became and evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hitherto unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord, he caused me to sing.

Based on his fervent faith and service to the church, friends encouraged him to leave his field of teaching and become an evangelist. It took five years for him to finally "surrender all" and follow the advice of his friends. His ministry took him to various places in the United States, England, and Scotland.

And so, the song ‘I Surrender All’ was born. I’m certain this song has encouraged and challenged many followers of Christ over the years. One such person I read about recently was William (Bill) Borden. Bill, heir to the Borden fortune (a millionaire in the early 1900’s his father had made a fortune in silver mining), spent a year traveling the world after he graduated from high school (as many do). After this time abroad, he came to discover and be changed by the best news! The account of his conversion is as follows:

On July 2, 1905, he attended meetings in London on the subject of assurance of salvation, and Bill was deeply moved. After the sermon, a soloist sang ‘I Surrender All’. With depth of feeling, Bill stood with several others and sang the chorus: “I surrender all; I surrender all. All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.” He was seventeen years old, but the die was cast. He returned home, gave away vast amounts of his fortune, and prepared for missionary service among the Muslims of China. Though he died of spinal meningitis in Egypt en route to China at age twenty-five, his story has influenced generations of young people of over one hundred years.

His life slogan was: “No Reserve. No Retreat. No Regrets.”

One of the evangelists who influenced my early preaching was also a hymnist who wrote "I Surrender All" -- the Rev. J. W. Van de Venter. He was a regular visitor at the Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity Bible College) in the late 1930's. We students love this kind, deeply spiritual gentleman and often gathered in his winter home at Tampa, Florida, for an evening of fellowship and singing.

One of the characteristics of many gospel songs is the repetition of a key word or phrase throughout the hymn. Each of the five stanzas begins with the line, "All to Jesus I surrender." The refrain includes the phrase, "I surrender all" three times in the melody and an additional two times in the men's part. This means that the one who sings all five stanzas would sing the word "surrender" thirty times. The other key word – "all" – would be sung forty-three times!

The stanzas all revolve around the key word. Stanza one stresses complete surrender: "all to him I freely give." In stanza two, the singer forsakes "worldly pleasures." Stanza three prays to "feel the Holy Spirit." Stanza four asks for Jesus' empowerment, to be filled with "thy love and power." In the final stanza, the singer

"feel the sacred flame," an image of the Holy Spirit. The result of feeling Christ's "full salvation," is to sing "glory to his name."